When the Arab Spring broke out in Tunisia in December, 2010, there were great hopes for a wildfire of democracy and change to sweep the Middle East. After some initial progress, the old regimes cracked down and suppressed the uprisings from Egypt to Syria. The movement was hijacked by Islamists and nationalists across the region. In 2014 this was compounded by the war against ISIS and by 2015 there were wars on multiple fronts, both international and civil. This course examines what happened in the Arab Spring and how it has affected the region since.

DELIVERY MODE

• Hybrid (F2F & Online simultaneously)

COURSE OUTLINE

• The reasons for the Arab Spring
• The course of the events, looking at each of the countries involved
• How it all came undone: the role of local and international powers
• The Middle East since: how the Arab Spring has affected the region in the years since

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Understand the reasons for the outbreak of the Arab Spring
2. Be familiar with the personalities and groups that were involved
3. Trace the developments from the original outbreak to suppression
4. Understand the consequences for the region and make some prediction of where the region is headed